Official says "Milošević was also called traitor"

BELGRADE Aleksandar Vulin says that "Milosevic, too, was called a traitor over Dayton, but the Serb Republic is now the guarantee of the survival of Serbs in Bosnia". The head of the government office for Kosovo and Metohija told B92 in Belgrade on Monday that Serbia "must fight for Kosovo": Official says "Milosevic was also called traitor" "Everything we are doing now is the fight for things to be possible, to not recognize Kosovo, to not give (Pristina) a UN chair, to never do something after which we cannot turn back." "Serbia is not being offered anything, but it is not acceptable to lay down and die or to pretend that nothing is happening concerning Kosovo," he also stated. According to Vulin, the claims of some opposition parties that the current government was "doing everything related to Kosovo with the support of the international community" were baseless, because, as he put it, "the international community" considers the issue of borders already solved and that Kosovo is "a state": "I wish we did everything in agreement with them. We are alone in this, because we want to reach the right solution within our Constitution." According to him, Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are now "the most unsafe people in Eeurope", while he finds it worrying that the KFOR commander who failed to visit northern Kosovo during the past six months was "making a military parade in Pristina": "We wish to have Serbs who are in complete connection with Serbia, against which apartheid and genocide cannot be perpetrated. Right now no human rights apply to them, bombs are being thrown at them, their homes, nearby Albanians are shooting at targets... We are aware of that, we deserve to be trusted more than anybody else, we are sincere toward Serbs in the good and bad times." Vulin also noted that there were no parallel institutions but only Serbian institutions formed in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244. "If our new resolution was accepted, the institutions would be renamed. We would need to pass a constitutional law and Pristina would have to change its Constitution through which it could consider these institutions its own. Then they could participatein the lives of Serbs, but not to have a decisive influence." He further stated that the time had come "to transfer a part of the KPS into the hands of Serbs", and expressed his belief that "all our problems would go away" if the Serbian platform on Kosovo were to be accepted. "There would no more problems concerning license plates, the IBM, local self-governments...," Vulin said, and on several occasions during the interview rejected accusations that by renaming them, they would effectively become "Kosovo's institutions". As for Serbia's bid to be given a date for the start of EU membership talks, Vulin said Serbia would have joined a long time ago "if only it wasn't Serbia". "I dare say that if we do not get a date, it will mean the EU does not appreciate the great efforts of the Serbian government and all citizens, and all that would change significantly the view that this country and the citizens have of the EU. If we weren't Serbia we would be in the EU already. Our economy is in a better shape than some (EU) members. Kosovo is also a part of the story, an essential part, and we have done more than was agreed. We went a step further, offered to the planet Earth and the world ours, said what we wanted, agree, disagree, make suggestions, but let's see what can be done." Vulin also said that he understood the fear of the public in Serbia when it came to Kosovo, that it was normal for the opposition to protest, but that the government had adopted a resolution and a platform, that "everything was out in the open", and expressed his assurances that the government was "sticking to what has been adopted". Aleksandar Vulin (file) B92

Official says "Milošević was also called traitor"

"Everything we are doing now is the fight for things to be possible, to not recognize Kosovo, to not give (Priština) a UN chair, to never do something after which we cannot turn back."

"Serbia is not being offered anything, but it is not acceptable to lay down and die or to pretend that nothing is happening concerning Kosovo," he also stated.

According to Vulin, the claims of some opposition parties that the current government was "doing everything related to Kosovo with the support of the international community" were baseless, because, as he put it, "the international community" considers the issue of borders already solved and that Kosovo is "a state":

"I wish we did everything in agreement with them. We are alone in this, because we want to reach the right solution within our Constitution."

According to him, Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are now "the most unsafe people in Eeurope", while he finds it worrying that the KFOR commander who failed to visit northern Kosovo during the past six months was "making a military parade in Priština":

"We wish to have Serbs who are in complete connection with Serbia, against which apartheid and genocide cannot be perpetrated. Right now no human rights apply to them, bombs are being thrown at them, their homes, nearby Albanians are shooting at targets... We are aware of that, we deserve to be trusted more than anybody else, we are sincere toward Serbs in the good and bad times."

Vulin also noted that there were no parallel institutions but only Serbian institutions formed in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

"If our new resolution was accepted, the institutions would be renamed. We would need to pass a constitutional law and Priština would have to change its Constitution through which it could consider these institutions its own. Then they could participatein the lives of Serbs, but not to have a decisive influence."

He further stated that the time had come "to transfer a part of the KPS into the hands of Serbs", and expressed his belief that "all our problems would go away" if the Serbian platform on Kosovo were to be accepted.

"There would no more problems concerning license plates, the IBM, local self-governments...," Vulin said, and on several occasions during the interview rejected accusations that by renaming them, they would effectively become "Kosovo's institutions".

As for Serbia's bid to be given a date for the start of EU membership talks, Vulin said Serbia would have joined a long time ago "if only it wasn't Serbia".

"I dare say that if we do not get a date, it will mean the EU does not appreciate the great efforts of the Serbian government and all citizens, and all that would change significantly the view that this country and the citizens have of the EU. If we weren't Serbia we would be in the EU already. Our economy is in a better shape than some (EU) members. Kosovo is also a part of the story, an essential part, and we have done more than was agreed. We went a step further, offered to the planet Earth and the world ours, said what we wanted, agree, disagree, make suggestions, but let's see what can be done."

Vulin also said that he understood the fear of the public in Serbia when it came to Kosovo, that it was normal for the opposition to protest, but that the government had adopted a resolution and a platform, that "everything was out in the open", and expressed his assurances that the government was "sticking to what has been adopted".